Detent for panic bolts and the like



A. A. PAGE.

DETENT FOR PANIC BOLTS AND THE'LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED 00123, 19m.

1,306,560. Patented June 10, 191

i 51], .25HEETS-SHEET I.

W dul F ENTOR A. A. PAGE.

DETENTFOR PANIC BOLTS AND THE LIKE.

7 APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. 1916.

1 ,306, 560. Patented June 10, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

E .5 T .IHIII HW 1 ALBERT A. PAGE, or EAST HAVEN, coNnEcTIcunAssIenoR To s'ARGEnTa coinrANY,

or new HAVE1\T, CONNECTICUT, A eoeronA IoN or coNNEc IcUT.

DETENT roe PANIC-BOLTS AND THE- IlIKE. r

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 10,

Application filed 0013011111128, 1916. Serial 110.128.,239;

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, ALBERT A. PAGE, of.

East Haven, county of New Haven, State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detents for Panic-Bolts and the like, of which the fol lowing is a full, clear, and exact descr1pt1on.-;

This invention rel-ates to detent mechanism for bolts and more particularly to a detent mechanism for automatically holding in retracted, position a panic bolt or the like when the door is opened and for releasing the bolt when the door is closed. The invention also relates especially to a detent for a bolt adapted to engage a keeper on the lintel of the door and operated by a horizontal push bar or the like, but it will be obvious from the following description that certain features of my invention will be found useful in. looks and latches of various types.

It is hardly necessary to explain the gen- I eral advantages of a detent device for a panic bolt or similar mechanism. As the taking hold of the push bar, bolt operating lever or other member, on the inside of the door without causing the bolt to be projected until it is in a position to engage prop erly with its keeper. Moreover a detent device is desirable because it prevents or reduces to a minimum the bolt being tampered with or damaged while the door is in the open position.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide a very simple and efiicient detent device, particularly adapted for use at the upper edge of the door, which takes up very little space and which can be very readily mountec. 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a detent in which a part on the strike or keeper mounted on the lintel is adapted to shift into and. out of operative position in an automatic manner a horizontally 'Imovable detent, which can be confined within the lines of the door at the upper edge thereof. When the door is opened the detent member is automatically moved over the head 'of the bolt when the latter is retired; and on closing the door the.detent member is automatically withdrawn from possibility of the 7 its bolt retaining position by ngagement with the strike. To these and other ends, the invention consists in the novel features'and combinations of parts to be hereinafter described and claimed- 7 In the accompanying drawings, V Figure 1 is a fragmentary insideview of a door equipped Wltllfl. panic bolt embodyingmy improvementsthe door being in the locked position; 3 '1 Fig. 2 is an enlarged vertical longitudin'al section ofthe; door and nt device,

with the bolt in the -,door-lookingposition;

Fig. 3 is asimilar view showing the door Op n;

Fig. 1 is an elevation of the detent mechanism looking from the inside of theroom, V

the door [being closed;

Fig. 5 is a. view of a portion of the upper edge of the door looking from the outside, said door being n the open pos1t1on;:

F g. 6 1 s a top plan view ofa portlon of ing position;

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the bolt dogged in the door releasing position;

the door showing the boltinjthe door-lock- I Fig. .8 is a detail face" view of the keeper. I

or strike; and

Fig. 9 is a detail perspective :view of the detent lever showing the under side thereof. In Fig. 1 of the drawings, I have shown my improved detent mechanlsm, in connec-' tionwith a swinging door 10 hinged at the 1 right hand side' of the frame or casing 11' to swing in an outward d 1rect1on,and have.

ing an upwardly extending bolt,12 working therein at the free edgeof the door, to cooperate with, a keeper in the lintel 13.j :In-

the particular formysho-wn, the bolt 12 is actuated by mechanism in a case 14: mor

tised in the free edge of the door, which.

mechanism in turn is actuated by a. swing ingpush bar 15 extending across the door at the inside, the arrangement being such that when the bar 15 is pushed toward the face of the door, the bolt 12 is withdrawn from its keeper so as to release the door and permit it to be opened as the pressure on the push bar is continued. ,iThe bolt 12 com prises a stem portion 12 and a head 12".. The stem is shown as operating in a bore 16f and the' headoperates arecess 17 cut in,

the door near the upper corner thereof.

The bolt head is guided in a guide plate 18 mortised in the door at the upper edge thereof, and as the bolt is protracted it moves through an opening 19 in the plate 18 into engagement with an opening 20 in the strike or keeper 21, which strike or keeper is miortised in the under part of the lintel 13, as shown in Fig. 2.

Referring now to the particular construction of the guide plate 18, this plate is of substantially the same width as the thickness of the door, and is accommodated in a notch or recess cut in the corner of the door. At the inner end of the plate, the same is provided with holes, for attaching screws 22, by means of which it is secured to the door. The plate is also provided with a depending portion 28 mortised in the door at the free side edge thereof, and secured in place by screws 24:. The bolt head 12 may be of square cross-section, as shown, the opening 19 being of corresponding shape. At that side of the plate 18 which is disposed toward the outer face of the door, the plate is cut away adjacent the bolt opening 19 to provide working space for one end 25 of a detent lever 26, pivoted to the plate at 27. In the form shown, this detent lever is in the shape of an elbow or hell crank, and the pivot pin 27 is locatedat the bend of the elbow. The end portion or arm 25 of the lever is disposed at the outer side of the door, whereas the arm 28 of the lever extends in an inward direction, having its free ektremity adjacent the inner face of the door. The arm 28, like the arm 25, operates in a cut-away portion of the plate, and preferably the upper surface of the entire lever 26 is flush with the upper surface of the main part of the plate, which in turn is flush with the upper surface of the door.

Extending transversely. with respect to the plate 18, adjacent the bolt opening 19 but at a point more remote from the side edge of the door, is a groove 29, in which operates a depending projection 30 on the strike or keeper 21. A lateral shoulder 81 on the arm 28 is adapted to extend over the edge of the groove 29 into engagement with the projection 30'so that the lever may be actuated to retain and release the bolt. The arm 25 when in one position is adapted to clear the bolt head, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to enable the bolt to lock the door in the customary manner; but in another position, the arm 25 is adapted to overlie the bolt head when the bolt is retracted, so to hold it or dog it in the retracted position, as shown in Fig. 7. In order to prevent any appreciable upward movement of the dogging end of the arm 25, the free extremity of said arm is provided with a tongue or rib 82 engaging an under cut or groove 33 in the plate 18, in which under cut or groove the tongue or rib 33 is adapted to slide as the detent lever is swung about its pivot. When the detent lever is in the boltlocking position shown in Fig. 7, upward pressure on the bolt head cannot lift the end of the lever owing to the fact that a part of the mounting plate overhangs the tongue or rib 32.

The keeper or strike 21 is of customary form, except for the fact that it is provided with the pin or projection 30 depending therefrom adjacent the bolt opening. 20. The projection 30 does not interfere with the closing of the door owing to the provision of the clearance groove 29 adjacent the detent lever.

The operation of the device will be more I or less obvious from the foregoing description. When the door is closed and locked (as shown in Figs. 2 and 6), the bolt head. 12 is extended upward past the detent lever into engagement with the strike opening 20. The projection 30 on the strike rests within the elbow of the detent lever on the outer side of the angular shoulder or cam 31 on the arm 28 of the lever. he outer edge of the arm 25 is substantially flush with the outer face of the door, while the inner edge of said arm is in close proximity to the bolt opening 19. hen the door is opened, the actuation of the push bar 15 moves the bolt head in a downward direction, and just as soon as it clears the strike 21, pressure on the bar 15 forces the door outwardly into the open position. In or der that the door may be freely opened, the shoulder 31 on the detent lever must be moved from behind the projection 30 on the strike. This is permitted by the pivotal mounting of the detent lever, and the shoulder 31 engages the projection 80 in such a manner that as the door opens, the.

automatically on the opening of the door, and as the lever reaches its operative posi- 'tion it disengages the projection 30. The

opening movement of the door is therefore not interfered with except for the very slight pressure necessary to swing the (id tent lever on its pivot. The bolt is dogged automatically in the retracted position on the opening of the door, and it remains in this position while the door is open. The detent lever is so located as to be invisible from the floor and hence tampering with the bolt mechanism by unauthorized per sons during the time that the bolt head is open reduced to a minimum. The pressure offthe-bolt-head,whichis usually acted; on by a suitable spring, is"suiiicient to;hold,

the detent lever firmly in the dogging position, and it is therefore possible to close the door by pullingon the. push bar Without causing the bolt to be projected before it comes intoregister with the strike opening.

hen the door is closed, the groove 29 clears the projection onthesstrike until, the latter contacts with the inner edge of the arm 25- at about the point, 25 (Fig. 6);,whereupon during the final closing .movement of the door the projection 30-lthruststhe arm-25' from over the bolt and-bolt opening, whereby the bolt is permittedto-shoot into the opening of the .Strike automatically as it upper surface of the guide-plate. In order to permit this, the arm 25 of the detent lever is under out where it overlies the bolt head, as shown at 34. In other words, the boltretaining portion of the lever is of less thickness than the main portion thereof, in order to permit the bolt to have a maximum throw without detracting from the strengh and solidity of the construction.

Various changes in the details ofthe construction may be made without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a panic bolt construction, the combination of a door and door frame, a vertical sliding bolt adapted to project upward beyond the upper edge of the door, a keeper on the lintel to receive said bolt, a horizontally swinging elbow lever mortised in the upper edge portion of the door adjacent the corner thereof and having one arm adapted to overlie the bolt head to hold the bolt in retracted position, said lever having another arm disposed substantially transversely of the upper edge portion of the door, a pivot for said lever, and a depending projection on said keeper positioned to engage one arm to swing the elbow lever into bolt-engaging position and to engage the other arm to swing the elbow lever out of bolt-engaging position; substantially as described.

2. In a panic bolt construction, the combination of a door and door frame, a vertical sliding bolt adapted to project upward beyond the upper edge of the door, a keeper on the lintel to receive said bolt, a horizontal swinging elbow lever mortised in the upper edge portion of the door adjacent the corner thereof and having one arm adapted to overlie the bolt head to hold the bolt in retracted position, said levenhaving an operating arm CllSPOSGCl substantially transversely .of the upper; edge portion 'of the door, apivot for said lever, a dependingiprojection on said v keeper for engaginggthe operating armiof said elbow lever, an'd. a plate onthe upper edge? of the 2 door upon which said elbow lever is pivotally mounted, saidplatezhav ing a transverse groove in which said projectlon operates; substantially asldescribed.

- 3.; Ina device such asidescribed-a boltguiding plate adaptedto be mortised in the upper edge of thedoor atthe corner portion thereof; and having a-boltf opening adjacent the cornerofthe door,-a;vdetent device in; s

the form'of an elbow lever, a' pivot for said elbow lever on that side of the bolt opening,

which is located away from th free side edge. of the door, and a keeper havlng a lug positioned to contact with .one arm.of. saiddetent device to-move the device into" bolt-engaging position a'ndto contact with the other arm torelease said bolt, substair tially as described.

4; In devicesuch as'described, aplate adapted to bevmortised in the upper edge of the door at the corner portion thereof and having a bolt opening adjacent the corner of the door, a bolt slidably mounted in said opening, a detent device in the form of an elbow lever for dogging said bolt in its retracted position, a pivot for said elbow lever on that side of the bolt opening which is located away from the free side edge of the door, and a keeper having a projection to actuate said detent device automatically, said elbow being mortised in said plate substantially flush with the edge of the door, and said plate having a groove adjacent said elbow lever to receive the projection on the keeper and to permit either arm of said lever to be brought into operative engagement with said projection; substantially as described.

5. In combination with a door and door frame, a vertically sliding bolt carried by said door, a horizontally swinging detent in the form of an elbow lever pivotally secured at its elbow upon a horizontal edge of said door and adapted to overlie the bolt head when the same is retracted to thereby dog the bolt in its retracted position, and a projection upon said door frame cooperating with said elbow lever to move the same positively into and out of bolt-dogging position, said projection positioned to engage one arm of said elbow lever to move the lever to dog ging position and to engage another arm to move the lever out of dogging position; substantially as described.

6. In combination with adoor and door frame, a vertically sliding bolt carried by said door, a horizontally swinging detent in the form of an elbow lever pivotally mounted at its elbow upon a horizontal edge of said door and adapted to overlie the bolt head when the same is retracted to thereby dog the bolt in its retracted position, one arm of said elbow lever provided with a laterally projecting shoulder, and a projection upon said door frame ositioned to engage said shoulder when said door is opened to swing said detent to its dogging position,

substantially as described.

7. In combination with a door and door frame, a vertically sliding bolt carried by said door, a horizontally swinging detent in the form of an elbow lever pivotally mounted at its elbow upon a horizontal edge of said door and adapted to overlie the bolt head when the same is retracted to thereby dog the bolt in its retracted position, a keeper upon said door frame positioned to be engaged by said bolt, a shoulder upon one arm of said detent, -and a projection upon said keeper positioned to operatively engage either said shoulder or the arm which is not provided with a shoulder to thereby positively and automatically move said de- Copies of this patent may be obtained for tracted position, a shoulder upon said detent, and a projection upon said keeper, positioned to engage said shoulder when said door is moved in one direction and to engage a face of said detent when said door is moved in an opposite direction to thereby positively and automatically move said detent into and out of dogging position; substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand on the 26th day of October, 1916.

ALBERT A. PAGE.

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

